This was another good book from a great author. I loved the Murder Bot Diaries and so I knew I needed to read this book as well and it did not disappoint.

This is going to be a short review friends. So let us begin. I was not drawn into this book because I knew who the author was. I did not. Though I have now learned of her Murderbot series and will have to give that a shot. I also learned she's a Texas author! I love some Texas authors! So I knew going into this book that it was a fantasy novel, and I adore fantasy. I just do not think I was in the right headspace for this one.

I think this book is meant to be read, in physical form, because the audio was a bit hard to follow. We do not have a linear timeline and we start in the middle of the story and jump from past to present. There are a lot of flashbacks about Kai's past. It was not the easiest to follow in audio form. I think the narrator did an ok job but I don't know if he was the right fit or maybe it was just too immersive when it comes to stories.

There was a lot of great substance but I think I'm going to have to come back to this one later and read the physical or Kindle version of this book. With that being said, it really does have a lot of great fantasy aspects with amazing world building and intriguing characters, it just wasn't for me at this time.

Half of this story is told in flashbacks by Kai a demon living in the mortal world. Kia wakes to find his body trapped and someone trying to use his powers. After defeating the small group and moving into a new host body provided by the attackers, Kai frees a friend entombed with him and they both start a journey to find the rest of their band of friends. The rest of the book alternates with flashbacks of Kai’s first seasons on the mortal plane with distant mortal relations. As the story unfolds in flashbacks his journey in the current time has him going back to where it all started so as the story unfolds you find out why he is going to an abandoned city to find the rest of his friends. A good self-contained story and there is so much room for development in this universe and yet there is no cliffhanger ending to have you demanding the next one ASAP.

First and foremost I really enjoyed the narrator for this audio. I feel that he did a good job of bringing this story to life and doing it justice, I loved this novel. The magic system is super complex and fun and I found myself soaking in every bit of information that i could about it. I really liked Kai and Ziti, i think that in the vast world of adventure bound friends these two will stick out in my mind for a very long time. There is so much presented in this story and I don't feel like the story every bogged down or stalled in any way. The world building is absolutely gorgeous. The attention to detail was so vivid and lyrical I had no problem imaging myself there in the moment with the characters. I think that the timeline jumps would have been a bit easier for me had i read instead of listen to this one, as i did find a few times where i was definitely confused. All in all this is a great fantasy book especially for those that enjoy world building and a more plot driven story line.

I'm a fan of the MurderBot series from Martha Wells, but this is the first fantasy novel of hers I've read. I found it to be a great book. The characters are engaging and diverse, and the story moves along at a pace I enjoyed. There are a few slower spots, but as there is a good bit of world building to set the stage for what is coming, that's expected. Having a demon (even in human form) is an interesting starting point, especially as it has a fairly strict ethical code, which is not what most people thing of with a demon. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to more books set in this world.

This is one of the first times I can actually say that I need to read the physical book after listening to the audiobook. The book is so dense and it cycled back and forth from the past to the present. With the present only being a few days span. I need to take notes to figure out exactly what is going on and you absolutely need to remember the names in the beginning because there’s so many important characters and the narrator doesn’t change his voice to reflect them (I do love this narrator though and have listened to a few of his narrated books).

The story itself is great and the magic system and demon system is really fascinating. There are almost too many characters and with going back and forth from the past and the present I would forget where I was in the story timeline. But it was a good story overall. I just need to go back and read a physical copy to fully understand the extent of what is going on.

If you like a complex magic system and a really funny and unique set of characters (the dry humor in this was absolutely my favorite part) then you’ll love this. It’s worth me doing a re-read to better understand it because I’m pretty confident there will be another book.

This is first book I've read by this author and I can definitely see now why she has such a large following. The characters are likable anti-heroes that you cheer and eagerly follow as they set about in their world. The Witch King feels a bit like an expanded novella but still maintains interest throughout as our protagonist solves an existential mystery.

Story: Kai wakes up to find his body dead and his spirit imprisoned - not the position a demon wants to find himself in. When fate brings him a new host, he knows he must rescue his colleagues and discover what happened - how did he end up in this position and where is one of his missing friends?

The story is deceptively simple yet surprisingly nuanced. In this world, demons are not evil and instead have a pact with humans that allow them to experience the human world. But there are those who do not want the demons taking sides and so their clans are being eliminated. It is in this situation that our protagonist wakes up. He has to find out what happened to his colleagues (witches and magic users) while at the same time discovering how he came to be so thoroughly entrapped.

The story is told alternating between the present and Kai's memories. The memories are important because they set the world building and the situation that dictates the present. As the mystery slowly unravels, we end up with characters who only exist in the past or in the present, not both. It makes for a very engaging read: beyond the great characters there is also the world mystery to slowly solve.

The pacing is decent and there is plenty of action. But really, the star here is the great set of characters. Each one of highly diverting, with humor, snark, pathos, and whimsey. Some of powerful, some are not, but all are incredible distinct and well built.

This book follows a complete arc. If it is related to any of Martha Wells' other books, I did not feel lost or that I had to read any to follow this story. It's an excellent stand alone and one which I'd love to read more with these people.

Note: I listened to the audio version and the narrator did an excellent job of bringing out all the distinct personalities. It could be a bit hard to follow in audio since it is such a nuanced story, however. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

DNF at 22%. I liked the description of the book, but it couldn't hold my attention. The jumping back and forth between past and present didn't serve the story in my opinion. Considering the complicated cultures and political intrigue it would've made more sense to start at the beginning instead of what felt like the middle. It's also not a good sign when you don't really care about the main character or their concerns.

First thing I’d like to say about this book is that I listened to it and though I love audiobooks and the narrator was good - I think this is a book that would be better in print. There are dual timelines and the switches were sometimes hard for me to follow in the audio. However, I really enjoyed the book and I will probably reread it with my eyeballs to enjoy it more.
The world building in this book is fantastic and so are the characters. The main character Kai is the best part of this book. I think I might not be cut out for stand alone fantasy books though because when this was over I wanted there to be more. It ends in such a way that there is room for more and maybe if I wish hard enough she will write more?
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance listening copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, Martha... you've wowed us with a murderous robot with feelings and a sense of humor but dished us out a plate of cold noodles with this one. Witch King feels exactly like most other fantasy novels of the modern era with limitless action, but no personality. BUT... loads of people love this kind of story... good writing, neat world-building, justice, revenge. I apologize for desiring more in a book. Give us more Murderbot.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this at around 50%. I was not enjoying myself, so I had to make the move to put this down. I had never read Martha Wells, I am still interested in the Murder Bot series. The writing was enjoyable, but it was slowly paced.

Witch King is fast and fun, with great world building and characters that make me long for a part 2. Our witch king is Kai, a demon in a mortal body, who wakes up in an unknown place and has to figure out how he got there, what's going on, and most importantly who's trying to kill him. The audio is very well done. The narrator gives a great performance and really helps ease the load of taking in all of the characters and cultures we're given in this world. For those who love their fantasy to have high stakes and a thread of humor throughout.

I received the audiobook as an ARC on NetGalley.

Reading a Martha Wells story is always a great idea and this one did not disappoint.

Kai wakes up and realizes he’s not in his body. He can’t remember what happened or who betrayed him. He collects allies along the way to find the truth and his missing friend. Flashes of the past paint a detailed picture of how friends and foes came to be in the aftermath of a revolution. Witch King is an action packed fantasy adventure filled with twists, political intrigue, and a complex magic system.

I definitely recommend picking up this book!

Love love love and plenty of feels. Gosh, Wells can write! Also, no of course it's not Murderbot--it's not meant to be.

This drops the reader into the world and lets you figure it out as you go, which I always appreciate--very little exposition. There was so much to like about this: Martha Wells builds neat, unusual, fully-realized worlds and I like spending time in the places (as well as with the people) that come out of her head. I love the ways in which she experiments with, and invites the reader to think experimentally about, culture and gender.

A chief complaint by readers who discovered Wells via Murderbot is that Witch King is not a Murderbot book. It is not. Wells has too much depth and range to do something as simplistic as offering a sardonic, long-suffering Murderbot analog in a fantasy setting. The dry wit and sarcasm are there in Witch King, but they're applied with a lighter touch.

Having some characters who are very, very long-lived over the course of a world's history allows the writer to do interesting things with the plot. Demonkind and the Immortal Blessed (who are as insufferable as you'd hope they would be) live for a very long time, so we have characters who experienced events first-hand that contemporary mortal humans have only learned about as history.

Our MC Kai, for all that he's called the Witch King, is not technically either a witch or a king; he is a demon prince living in a human body. His closest friend and comrade-in-arms, Ziede, is a true witch. Witches are the offspring of demon-inhabited human bodies and mortal humans. It sounds complicated, and it is, but the contours of the world are introduced in a way that feels easy to track from within the novel.

Chapters alternate between the present and the past--the history that makes sense of the relationships and conflicting interests in the present. I only just tolerate political intrigue in plots, as long as the book has characters I can care about. Intrigue as the main hook just doesn't do it for me, but it's done well here (*and* I cared about the characters)--it's not clear what motives drive a number of the characters, and wondering who can be trusted does an effective job of creating tension.

Relationships are emphasized, but romantic love for the most part has a space off in the wings: Ziede is driven by her love for her wife to set off and stop at nothing to find her, but the relationships front and center are friendships, sibling relationships, the ready and instant kinship of being the last remnants of a culture that doesn't exist anymore because its people were wiped from the earth, and the bonds created when people fight side-by-side, or are sure they're going to die together.
I adored Kai's friendship with Ziede and learning how it was forged.

The ending wraps things up sufficiently to give a satisfying sense of resolution, but leaves plenty of room for further books in this world. If there are, I will get them and read them.

Quibbles:
I received an ARC of the audiobook, and I have a hard time telling if it's the narrator or me, but the acting/emoting of the dialogue didn't always work for me. There were places where the text said that a character said something drily or "breathed the word," and I kept noticing places where the tone used by the narrator didn't seem to quite line up with the directions. I should add though that it wasn't always in cases where the text specified how something was said; it also happened in places where I just thought a character would have said something differently, and that's pretty subjective. Again, this could be me.

Listening to this as an audiobook, I also had a more difficult time keeping straight the (to my ear similar) names of some characters, cultures / ethnic groups, and places than I would have if I'd had a visible text to refer to.

I received an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review--thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio/Tor for the opportunity. My opinions are entirely my own.

I love the characters this author writes. Murderbot comes to mind with it's super compelling main character and fun, well-developed assortment of side characters. This story is no exception with Kai, a demon. I also liked the way this story alternated between past and present, but every once in a while I had to remind myself what section I was in. I loved the world-building in this book and the pacing was so tight and well done that I found myself flying through this. This was such a compelling work of epic fantasy and I highly, highly recommend this! I can't wait for more in this world and/or more from this author.
For the audiobook specifically: I enjoyed the narrator's voice. I thought he had a good voice for reading stories. However, I'm not sure that his voice specifically works for this story, I felt sort of removed from the story at times because it felt like someone was reading a book to me rather than the book itself coming to life, if that makes any sense at all.

I haven’t experienced well-known The Murderbot Diaries series, so Witch King was my first read by Martha Wells. The story follows a demon from the Underworld named Kai who wakes up imprisoned. There are two timelines where the reader follows the past of how he got there and the present of what he will do next. The story starts in the middle of the action, so it takes awhile to put all the pieces together. This may work for some readers and not for others, so for me I do wish there was a bit more introduction to the story just to captivate me more right away. As-is, it took me a few times to pick up this story, but the audiobook did help move it along more, for me. I think it would have taken me a lot longer to read if I did the printed version or I may have been distracted by other novels instead.

There is a lot of detail in this novel, including descriptions of the clothes and culture. At times, the volume is a bit much as they take away from the plot. In others, though, they were well-done and added a lot to the story. I think the writing had a difficult time finding the sweet spot in the amount to include, but I can see the potential with this author. There are a lot of characters in this story. I think if I tried to memorize all of them, I would fail, but I was able to, at least, track everyone enough to follow the story. Kai was a great protagonist where he was darker yet likeable. The other characters in the story all fit well together, but I do wish that the story went into more about them. At times, some of them read a little flat and other times they read well-rounded. I believe this may be due to everything being crammed into a single novel. Since the reader is dropped in the middle of the action before the pieces are revealed, it reads like a sequel, and I think a prequel novel to fully explore the background would be nice.

The novel is more plot-driven and follows Kai’s journey. The pieces are put together slowly. With the past and present happening plus the unique chapter structure, the novel is a little convoluted. The concept is great, but I think the execution did not quite get there. Eric Mok was an engaging narrator, but it was still difficult to follow the material. The ending is satisfying with some questions being answered, but there are still some questions left. There is a lot of material packed into the novel where there would be enough to break it apart and make it multiple books. I think there are readers that will love this story; however, it just did not quite work for me. Overall, I think Wells has a lot of potential to work with me as an author, but this story did not quite get there.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

I love this book! Kai wakes up next to his own casket and knows he has been betrayed. He just need to figure out why. Alternating between Kai's past and present, an rich world and incredible magic system are slowly revealed. I loved all the characters and the story that was told.

Wow, what a stunning fantasy from Martha Wells! I discovered this author thanks to the Murderbot Diaries, and while this book is nothing like that in terms of tone or plot, it still has the same heart and amazing characters of their other series. If you played Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom and want something with the same vibes (note: vibes, not plot) then this book is DEFINITELY it. I loved the alternating timelines between the past and the present, and how the history repeated itself in different ways. If you liked the setup of Lies of Locke Lamora, you'll love this book. I had a little trouble keeping up with the names, but that's because I read via audiobook and my brain wasn't ready. The narrator did an amazing job, with distinct character voices and brilliant acting. Highly recommend as long as you're used to high fantasy via audio! Overall, thoroughly enjoyed this book and will read again.

You will be pulled into this mysterious and complex universe from the first chapter where Kai awakens in a prison cell at the bottom of the ocean. Unfortunately for the expositor who has trapped him there, Kai is the witch king and far more powerful than anyone can imagine. Jumping back and forth from the past and the present, the complicated history of demons and witches inhabiting humans through warfare, political intrigue, and revolution will slowly be revealed. The battles are quick but the clean up is bloody and dark.

My biggest issue with the book is that it is a bit too complex. It seems the author, Martha Wells, has a very well thought out world but just forgot to explain it to the audience. The list of characters at the start of the book are normally just references as you go through the book, not the only explanation of who any of these people are and their relation to anyone else. But that's exactly what it is and it makes the book maddeningly difficult to keep straight. With this convoluted world building, Martha Wells seems to have fallen into the trap of trying to make the world seem more fantastical by making everything have a new name. Do the magicians really have to be called expositors instead?

The story is intriguing overall and I do appreciate the queer characters, who play with the genders of the humans they inhabit but also the non-straight relationships these characters develop.

I received an early reviewer's copy of Witch King from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Here is the deal - this is Martha Wells at all of her fantasy, world building glory. I know a lot of people have only read her Murderbot series and are surprised by how intense her fantasy writing is (and has been). I started with Murderbot a year or two ago, and then I spent a whole summer with the Raksura and realized how intricate all of her worlds are.
So! With that being said, this is a solid entry into Wells's fantasy bibliography. One of the main reasons I love her fantasy books is because she just drops you right in the deep end. It's a great way to kind of, spurn a sense of wonder at the largess of the worlds she creates.
The world she has created in Witch King is expansive, not just physically (though her worlds are usually so large in distance), but in the concepts of what it means to be human - gender, sexuality, ability... Sometimes you're a demon in a new body and you're just having a bit of a Time. It's so refreshing to be able to read a big-F Fantasy novel and not cringe internally at homophobia, transphobia and general LGBTQ squeamishness.
Witch King is the kind of book that is an escapist's dream: a world where it isn't all a metaphor for a current/recent social issue. (Don't get me wrong, I love books on both sides of this, but sometimes you need a book to let you stop thinking about the world so you can relax for a second.) And while it is unfortunately still a world that will be taken as a "political statement" by some, just due to Wells's standard inclusiveness, it is really just a story you can get sunk right into and inhabit the world in your mind.
Also, if you are a new Wells reader from Murderbot or just finding her for the first time: if you liked this book, you are going to *love* her back catalogue.